Accessibility

The Policy

Eldritch aimed for an accessible game with a basis in player agency.

Staff recognized that they could not anticipate every need and invited players to ask for further accommodation. The policy grew over the life of the campaign. It drew on ideas shared by the team behind Gothic: Luisant, and Eldritch thanked them.

Sleeping and Rest

Sleeping Arrangements

Staff ensured that there were enough beds for everyone. Unless stated otherwise, sleeping spaces had power outlets for CPAP machines and other medical devices.

Out-of-Game Sleeping Arrangements

Formerly called the Medical Cabin, this cabin gave players a permanent, accessible space to sleep and rest. It stayed out of game for the whole event unless those inside chose otherwise, and it was free from conflict of every kind. Any cabin could take this designation if a player needed to sleep with a particular group or if the assigned cabin was full. Signs marked these spaces.

Safe Cabin

A separate cabin or room served as a place to take a quiet break during the event. It was not for overnight sleep, and no combat or roleplay took place there.

Safe Hours

Safe hours ran from 2 AM to 8 AM. No combat or PVP took place inside cabins during those hours, and staff did not enter sleeping spaces unprompted except for an out-of-game reason. Players could keep roleplaying among themselves.

Non-Combat Zones

The tavern and kitchen were permanent Non-Combat Zones. Staff still roleplayed with players there but did not attack them, and anyone who wanted to fight had to leave those spaces fully.

Non-Combatants

Physical combat at Eldritch was opt-out. Non-combatants wore an orange reflective sash made of a linen and cotton blend and sprayed with clear reflective paint. Two orange glow sticks at the wrists were optional after dark. A player could put these on or take them off at any time.

No one could physically attack a player wearing them. Players and NPCs could still fight a non-combatant in two ways, and the non-combatant chose which. One was a Fade to Black, with the scene negotiated out of character under the rules for conflict between players. The other was rock paper scissors.

Rock Paper Scissors

1. The attacker announced an intention to attack and named a place on the body. A player attacking another player still followed the PVP rules first.
2. The two played rock paper scissors, and a tie meant another round. If the attacker won, the attack landed under normal damage rules. If the defender won, it missed.
3. After a miss, the non-combatant could disengage, and that attacker could not try again for a full minute, although others could. A non-combatant with weapon skills could instead counterattack in the same manner, and one without them could allow another attempt.
4. After a hit, the non-combatant could not disengage but could counterattack with weapon skills.

Two players with strong mutual trust could set the game aside for a gentle theatrical fight, but only by the non-combatant's choice.

The published policy noted that the team had not thoroughly tested this system.

Roleplaying Injuries

Any player could take a knee or stand with arms crossed over the chest in place of falling after an injury or during a Bleeding or Dying count. They could stay in place or walk to the sidelines to wait for help. A player did not have to be a non-combatant to do this.

Measures at Millersylvania

In August 2022 staff answered player feedback about access at the Millersylvania site with the following measures.

• Staff asked the site to fill the mole holes in its fields and planned modules away from running across them.
• Staff placed lighting along the main pathway between the cabin rings and the tavern.
• Staff planned to send plot and NPCs through the cabin rings as well as the tavern, because the site's buildings were spread apart.
• Many planned combats leaned toward an opt-in format.

The site also offered an ADA compliant cabin next to the tavern, with a ramp and an indoor bathroom, which served as the out-of-game cabin.